Review of The Way of the Gun (2000) by Wesley M — 11 Jul 2010
Imagine if Tarantino wasn't quite so found of time and space-bending in his films, and instead directed his movies in a more straightforward manner. He might have put out a film similar to Way of the Gun, which is a dramatic, noirish crime story with a few twists to set it apart.
It is noir in the sense that any character is expendable and every character has their own motives, many of which conflict. This film is by no means a comedy, but there are so many quotable lines in this film that at times the whole movie feels like a trailer for itself. In the same way, its not an action movie by any means, but it does action well when it chooses to do it. Luckily it does add up to more than the sum of its parts, stopping just short of absurdity but gleefully wallowing in its morally ambiguous standards.
Every single person in this movie does their job exceedingly well. The direction is effective and at times even brilliant, with a few key scenes demonstrating how much potential McQuarrie has for this job. The writers outdid themselves making the plot and dialogue pop, being both memorable and almost painfully tense at times. The acting is superb all around, with the standout being Caan and the weakest being Diggs, whose heart just isn't in it. At times the film indulges is violent or gory displays that serve little purpose, but these do little to derail the film.
It all comes together very well. The film is paced very well, with each character getting their needed development and none are ever off-screen long enough to forget their presence. This is good because plot revelations can come at you fast and almost unexpectedly, it might require a lot of attention to truly grasp whats going on, but the movie is enjoyable regardless of the effort you put into grasping it.
Typical for the genre, the characters don't get much backstory. Their importance is mostly shown through their interactions with each other, and the way they act speaks more than the words they say. This is truly a study of people and how their value can fluctuate with circumstances.
All in all, tolerance for this film requires a level of tolerance for the genre, but there's a lot of reward for those willing to dig.
This review of The Way of the Gun (2000) was written by Wesley M on 11 Jul 2010.
The Way of the Gun has generally received mixed reviews.
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